A/N: The plot and setting doesn't follow that of the movie or the game, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, don't read it, there's no need to complain about it. This is my first ever written and published fan fiction, so constructive criticisms will be very much appreciated. I hope it isn't too horrible. I have never been able to write a fan fiction before, but after being a member of this site for three years I thought I'd give it a try.
Disclaimer: Nothing except the plot belongs to me. All characters belong to Square Enix, so don't sue me. I have no money anyway. :P
Lip-gloss: Black, White and Silver
Chapter 1- It All Starts In the Morning
The first light of day had begun to hit the horizon, streaking in through the curtain less window and hitting the eyes of a certain silver haired youth. His eyelids fluttered and over the course of a few minutes he gradually opened his eyes. He turned sideways and glanced at the alarm clock. It was 5.27 a.m and school only starts at eight.
Finding that he was unable to go back to sleep, Yazoo groggily stood up and began to stretch himself. Even though the air conditioner was on, the air was warm and stifling. Yazoo headed towards the bathroom, glad at the prospect of having a cold shower.
The bathroom was dark, but he had no trouble locating the light switch on the left side of the washbasin. He gazed at his reflection in the mirror and was delighted to see that his face had a healthy glow and was free of acnes. Feeling satisfied, he made his way to the shower.
After an invigorating shower Yazoo slipped into a pair of dark blue jeans and put on a crisp white blouse. The clothes together with his long, shiny hair accentuated his already lean figure. He hastily tidied up his study desk; putting pens and highlighters that were strewn all over the table into his pencil case; grabbing books that he'll be needing for today and dumping it into his sling bag.
Yazoo went outside and walked towards the living room, not at all surprised to find Uncle Vincent sitting outside in the balcony, staring at his laptop that was resting on a round coffee table, a hot mug of coffee lying beside it.
"Good morning Uncle Vin," he greeted, smiling softly.
"Morning," Uncle Vin replied, eyes still fixed on the screen.
"Would you like something to eat?"
"No thanks, I'm fine." This time he glanced up for a fraction of a second, his eyes meeting Yazoo's, before returning to the computer screen again.
Yazoo nodded, flung his school bag on the blood red sofa and briskly walked towards the kitchen.
Uncle Vincent was of course not Yazoo's real uncle. As far as he knew he had no blood-related family or relatives to speak of. His mother Jenova had suffered from post-natal depression and had committed suicide less than a year after he was born. Sephiroth, his father, was a deranged psychopath who blames Yazoo for his mother's death and had proceeded to physically and emotionally abuse him for over seven years.
Life with a mentally ill father was not easy. Yazoo was often starved and locked up in the storeroom when Sephiroth was in a bad mood. That was mild compared to all those times Sephiroth had doused him with cold water and force him to stand outside for hours during winter, made him eat dog food or beat him up with a broom.
Yazoo still cringes whenever he recalls his early childhood days. Try as he might, he could not forget Sephiroth's face, voice and presence. He was fortunate that Vincent Valentine had came to the rescue. Vincent Valentine or Uncle Vincent as Yazoo called him, is a successful screenwriter as well as a member of the Anti-Child Abuse Movement. Vincent had been involved in the investigation against Sephiroth; helping to gather enough proof and witnesses to lock Sephiroth behind bars and free Yazoo.
After the trial, Yazoo was temporarily placed in the care of Vincent, but it wasn't long before he fell in love with the lovely child with emerald green eyes and adopted him as his own son. Once he was part of the family, Yazoo couldn't continue calling Vincent Mr. Valentine, but he found that he couldn't bring himself to call him "daddy" either because it reminded him so much of Sephiroth (anyway Vincent himself seemed uncomfortable with it) so it has been "Uncle Vin" since then.
But these things were not on Yazoo's mind as he made himself a ham and cheese croissant and gulped it down in less than ten minutes. He dashed to the living room, grabbed his bag, shouted a cheerful "bye Uncle Vin" and without waiting for a reply opened the front door. He waited impatiently for the lift to reach the seventeenth floor and promptly pressed the number twelve button once the door opened and he had gotten inside.
The door to #12-02 was opened by a stunningly beautiful young woman with long cascading black hair. She was wide awake and was wearing a white tank top and light blue sweatpants.
"Hello Yazoo, you're earlier than usual today! He's still inside, fast asleep. Come in!" she said, smiling warmly as she let him in and close the front door.
"I'm sorry Tifa, I just thought we could avoid being late today," he replied, returning her smile.
"Okay you do what you have to do, I have some work to finish," she half-teased him as she strolled back towards her room.
Yazoo opened the room door to find Kadaj's face buried face down on the pillow, his head half covered by the blanket. To an unsuspecting stranger it would seem that he was dead, but Yazoo knew better.
"Wake up you sleepyhead!" he shouted at he top of his voice as he yanked the blanket away from Kadaj's body.
Kadaj was making loud unintelligible noises as he covered his head with the pillow.
"Come on, we have to pick up Yuffie at seven fifteen and I really don't want to be late again".
"What…time…?" he muttered sleepily.
"Six o' clock, so you better hurry!"
"…too early…you crazy…?"
"Well that's because you always take your own sweet time and dilly-dally. Now hurry up!" he said, snatching the pillow away from Kadaj.
"Yazoo…five more minutes…please," he begged, sheltering his face with a mop of silver hair and his left hand, while the other hand served as a pillow.
Yazoo was not one who gives up easily. He pulled his friend by the leg and dragged him down to the floor. Kadaj squealed like a stung pig and scrunched up his face in irritation.
"Fine! You win!" he grumbled, beating the sides of his head to wake himself up. He scrambled to his feet and staggered towards the wardrobe. Rummaging through the mess of clothes, he pulled out a black T-shirt with a drawing of Thierry Henry and a black pair of fitting jeans.
"I'm going to change now, so do you mind," he said, his head motioning towards the door.
"Aren't you going to take a shower first?" Yazoo asked, incredulous.
"Aww, but I don't like taking showers in the morning. You know I can't stand the cold!" he whined.
"Well you have to if you want to sit next to me!" he ordered, pulling Kadaj by the arm and dragging him to the bathroom. "Make it a fast one!"
Kadaj complied without further protest, his eyelids still half closed as he shut the bathroom door.
Knowing Kadaj was incapable of taking quick showers; he settled himself down on a swivel chair and started surveying Kadaj's desk to past time. Lying on the middle of the desk was Kadaj's dog-eared Physics textbook and his half-done Physics homework. His mobile phone, i-pod and digicam lay on top of a pile of paper and files. The desk was very much cluttered; with things such as shoelaces, key chains and candy wrappers scattered all around.
About thirty minutes later Kadaj was done; Yazoo had made sure he knocked on the bathroom door every five minutes to make sure Kadaj had not fell asleep in the bathroom, something that has happened quite often.
"So did you enjoy playing with the water?" Yazoo asked with a tinge of sarcasm.
"Shut up!" Kadaj snapped half-jokingly, pouting his lips.
"Bye bye nèsan!" Kadaj chirped before giving Tifa an affectionate kiss on the cheek.
Tifa returned the kiss with a soft pat on his head. "Be careful okay! I'll see you in the evening! Bye Yazoo!" She has an air of feminine tenderness without being too motherly.
Kadaj and Tifa has one of the closest brother-sister relationship Yazoo has ever seen, even though sometimes Kadaj enjoys too much being the pampered baby brother.
The sleek, silver Lamborghini sled to a halt in front of the Kisaragi Residence. Yazoo honked the horn twice and in less than a minute a slim, energetic, dark haired girl ran out of the front door; her bob cut hair swaying from side to side.
"Hello pretty Zazzo! Good morning Kada-choo!" she greeted them with her usual grin, before delivering a pretty hard whack on Kadaj's back as a form of affection. Kadaj who was still finishing his sandwich, nearly choked, but Yuffie seemed oblivious to it. "You guys are early today!"
"All thanks to me! And please don't ever call me Zazzo again! It makes me sound like a bloody bird!" Yuffie has the bad habit of creating weird nicknames for her friends, much to the annoyance of both Kadaj and Yazoo.
"Oh don't be angry now! It only makes you prettier! Hahaha," Yuffie laughed as she jumped into the car.
Yazoo scowled in response, ignoring Kadaj who was still coughing.
The trio was twenty minutes early for the first time in months; the silver convertible passing through the towering black gates of Shinra Academy.
A/N: Phew, I hope that wasn't too unbearable. I feel bad about putting Yazoo through such torture under Sephiroth (hugs poor Yazoo). Feedbacks and suggestions about characters, plot, my writing, etc, are very much welcomed. Remember this is my first time, so please be nice. I intend for this story to be light-hearted, but if any of you would like to see more of a certain genre, I'll consider it. Also note that even though I use well-known car brands, all car models are fictional.